His gaze did not waver from mine for the next ten seconds after Sapphire departed. He left the door ajar while the girl who had brought in the meal came back to clear the table and only carefully locked it after she was gone.
Excitement and fear enveloped me, with fear taking the better part of me. I’m far from shy or timid, but I find myself tongue-tied when he is anywhere near me. His eyes were devouring me as I shifted my weight from one foot to another uncomfortably. Despite the enormous size of the room, it feels rather small with him in it.“Sit down Aria,” His authoritative voice remained emotionless as I settled myself on the sofa Sapphire had been sitting on, instead of the bed he had pointed to, and a scowl crossed his face.I kept my eyes trained to the ground as he starts to unbutton his shirt, my heart doing a faster rhythm than normal. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him as he peeled his shirt off his body and dumped it in the pile of unwaI tugged at the arms squeezing my throat, trying to free myself as I gasped for air. His face was barred so I couldn’t see what he looked like, but I could see what he had on. A dark T-shirt that had the face of a wolf printed at the left shoulders was all I could see as I felt life slipping out of me. My eyes were closing slowly, I was losing the last strength I had in me. My body shook.The disturbing sound of laughter in the background was even more worrisome than the hands gripping my neck. I tried to pry behind the man to see who the laughter belonged to but his bulky frame made it difficult. The more I tried to see the face, the louder the laughter sounded.I screamed and jerked up with a start, covered in sweat despite the fully air-conditioned room. My eyes danced around the unfamiliar environment before realization set in.I haven’t had a nightmare in a long time and there is nothing scary about this room. I spent most of my childhood days day-dre
I groaned as my eyes fluttered open, but I snapped it shut again and pinched myself. Maybe it had been a dream and I was finally back to reality.“You’re awake,” I feel masculine arms helping me to sit up, and I groaned again when I recognized Daryl’s voice. It hadn’t been a dream. I clutched at my rumbling stomach and flung my eyes back open again. “I knew you would wake up soon, so I got you food,” he pointed at the tray on the table to my left.This room was different from the one I’d woken up in the earlier. It was small, and dark, with just a little light by the bedside to give the room illumination. The bed was nothing close to the comfortable one in Slade’s room and it could barely contain two people without their skin grazing against each other. While I’d been comfortable in Slade’s bed, I felt irritated in this one.“Where am I?” I questioned.“You’re in my room Aria. I’m not going to hurt you,” he says softly, pulling back a strand of hair from my face. I had been a fool once
Slade was resting against the large mahogany table, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his legs crossed in front of him. His expression was bland as he stared at me, totally ignoring Marcel’s greetings to scrutinize me.My eyes did a quick sweep of his office. It was large, with too much space than I thought was necessary. Two large monitors rested on the table, with a pile of paperwork stacked by the side, and a few scattered in front of the monitors. The far wall to my right has a large fireplace, with bookshelves lining it on both sides. There’s a long couch to my left beside a ceiling-to-ground window that overlooks the entire surrounding. I didn’t need to go too close to know the view from there would be fantastic.It bothered me that Sapphire had been alone with him in this office. I shouldn’t be, I reminded myself I only had to complete my deal here, but I couldn’t help it.“She saw Sapphire shift,” Marcel supplied.Slade nodded “Sapphire told me,” he says flatly, “Leave
“I don’t like green. Besides, the dress is too revealing,” I pulled the dress over my chest for the nth time, while Sapphire giggled and waved her perfectly manicured nails with a practiced flourish.“Nonsense, wait till Slade sees you in this,” she beamed, her blue eyes popping out.“I’m not trying to impress him,” I lied, and Sapphire’s brows shot up, but she doesn’t say anything more on the topic.I spent most of the day reading through different werewolf history, with Sapphire filling me in on the ‘Do’s’ and ‘Don’ts’ of the pack. She showed me around, although we couldn’t do a proper tour of the entire community. Dark Wolf is a large pack, and I am impressed by Slade’s contribution to its development.The alpha position of the pack has been in his bloodline since its inception almost a century ago. While the pack didn’t thrive in its early days, things only slightly improved during Elvis Slade’s reign (Hayden’s father) and took a drastic turn
Slade did not come to bed that night, and I did not catch any sleep either. They hated me. The look in their eyes said it all, and Slade glared at me like he was going to tear me apart, there was nothing but hatred in his eyes. The night was extremely long, and I reminisced on all that had changed in just a couple of days. I cried till I didn’t have any more tears left in my tear glands and I wish I’d not been too gullible to Sapphire’s tricks.She set me up, and I fell right into her trap. I wasn’t comfortable in that dress, but she made me believe Slade adored the color. He’d looked ready to send me to my early grave with the way his lips tightened when he saw me. It clearly wasn’t the fact that the dress was too exposed, it was the color.At early dawn, my eyes started to drift close, but I flung them open when I felt panic in my guts. Mere seconds later, the door swung violently open as he makes his way in, closing it with the same force he’d used to open it. I
SLADE“What do you mean you haven’t slept with her yet?” Marcel whispered, but loud enough for me to hear as he followed at my heels.“She’s too fragile. I fear she would break if I take her now,” I let myself into my office with my beta following behind me.“Since when do you care about that?” he hissed. I turned to glare at him before settling behind my computer.“It’s best she is strong enough to carry my pups nine months straight, don’t you think?” I raised a brow.“She’s human!” he exclaimed.“Half-blood,” I corrected, my face contorting into a frown.“Right. Half-blood,” he amended “But she doesn’t even know that, does she?” he probes.“Where are you going with this?” I growled, allowing my alpha aura leak to my tone. It wasn’t like Marcel to pick an argument with me. Marcel has been my best friend since I can remember, he was born to be my beta, but he knows his place and never outsteps his boundaries. He never disrespects or questions my decisions, and he is loyal to a fault. H
ARIAI watched as the werewolves of Dark Wolf pack assembled at the training ground and Marcel barked orders at them. As the pack’s beta, it was his duty to oversee the pack training alongside their head warrior. The training sessions are divided into three sections, as it will be impossible for all pack members to train at the same time. I have learned a lot in the few days that I’ve been here and I’m gradually adapting to the environment.I sighted Sapphire at the front rows dressed in a black sports bra and matching joggers. The bra pushed her chest up, revealing a large part of her bosom. She has avoided me like a plague since that incident, but I’d made up my mind not to confront her.I watched them train. They started with regular exercises before paring themselves to groups of fours, and then later to a partner each. They moved with speed, and I wondered if I would ever be allowed to train with them. I wanted desperately to be a part of Dark Wolf ev
“Spread your legs,” his command washed over me, goosebumps spreading rapidly all over my skin as I watched him unfasten his belts.I expected him to send me parking, or to punish me and demand his money back. To tell me he wanted out of the deal, or even spit in my face. To look at me with scorn in his eyes and tell me how much of a mistake I am.“I swear, it’s not what you think,” my voice shook, but his face remained passive, his expression bland, his jaw taut.“I gave you time to adjust, yet you insult me,” his voice was too cool it made me scared. I’d have felt at ease if he yelled, or crashed things like he’d done when he saw me in that dress. A knot formed in my stomach when I saw his lips had formed a thin line, tension gripping every part of my being. I searched for tears, but they deserted me. Right from the minute I set eyes on him, all I’d wanted was to please him, to make him see me more than the pauper that sold her body to pay off her family’
I opened my eyes slowly to find Slade watching me and a small blush crept up my cheeks. “Why are you awake?” I asked him with a sleepy voice.“Just wondering what I did to get so lucky,” He smiled at me. “And you can go back to sleep, your mom is attending to Zion already,”I have gotten used to waking up at this time to feed my baby, but I had the night off today. It’s been three days after the mating ceremony and I have had to deal with a lot after that. We were also moving into a bigger house. Slade thought the penthouse wasn’t big enough to start a family which is just off considering how large it is. He wants Zion to have the best.Now that we share a mate bond, communication was easier between us. When I was overwhelmed, he’d feel it too, and did everything he could to make me feel better. He was a great dad to his son, and many packs were sending in gifts every day since the birth of Zion, wanting a form of friendship with Dark Wolf.Sapphire was sentenced to death, but only a
ARIA“You look so adorable,” my mom wiped her eyes with the back of her hands as she stared at me “Reminds me of when I married your dad. We didn’t have an elaborate wedding, but it was the best day of my life. Everyone thought I was crazy for marrying him, but it’s the one thing I know I did right and I’d walk down the aisle with him again if I had to,” she finished.“Mom,” I fought back the tears that threatened to fall to my cheeks. Luna Evelyn specifically warned me not to ruin my makeup, and I didn’t want to have to listen to her complain if I did the exact thing she warned me not to do.Today is the mating ceremony. The day I become Luna of Dark Wolf pack, and the day I have dreamed of since I set eye on my mate. It’s funny how much things have changed, almost unbelievable.I didn’t have any expectations coming to dark wolf, but I started to have expectations as the days passed. Expectations that I didn’t expect to come through. I’d hoped my mate will come to love me, but I’d al
SLADE“What happens to Sapphire?” My beta asked me. Since she was pregnant, I knew the council will not put her to death until the baby comes, but she’d lost her right eye completely and could not clearly see with her left. I don’t deny that I want her dead though, and by my hands. After all she did to my mate and my pack, she does not deserve to live. We’d lost several warriors and it saddened me. In all my years as Alpha, I’d not witnessed so much loss in my pack, even during the days of my invasion. My heart was heavy, but the thought of my son brought me joy. People were beginning to ask questions since many of them expected me to die. I did not just survive a curse, but also a silver bullet. I sighed, my right hands reaching up to clutch my chest while I drove with my other free hand. I needed to make a stop at the dungeon where Sapphire was being held and then to Allegra’s hut. I also know I need to address the members of Dark Wolf tonight. I had meetings with the council as w
ARIAI tore my eyes from my baby and turned to my mate. He was smiling down at me while our child slept peacefully. I’d gone into labour at thirty-two weeks, earlier than the doctor had predicted but my baby was surprisingly healthy. A full-breed werewolf would carry a child for six months, but as an hybrid, I was expected to carry my pregnancy for nine months, but my little boy had come out at thirty-two weeks. It’s been almost twenty four hours since I put to bed and I was not to be discharged until tomorrow. Slade has been beside me, only leaving my side to take his own medications. He was healing, the doctor had said, but he still had a bandage around his chest. It wasn’t hard to see that he was obsessed with this child. In the last twenty-four hours, Slade barely allowed anyone near him, not even those who’d come bearing gifts.There was still a lot going on in the pack after the fight. Dark Wolf had won but with many casualties. Audrey helped in taking care of the sick as I was
MARCEL“The hunters have fled the pack,” Alpha Hance informed me through mind link “They are outnumbered, but they still pose a threat,” he says.“We need the prisoners back in the dungeons. Every one of them that survived,” I tell him back.“Many of them have gone into hiding. Where the fuck are you and where the fuck is Slade. Alive I hope?” He asked with a concerned voice. I didn’t respond but cut off the mind link instead. How can I explain the situation to him? Someone needs to keep things going out there. Daryl was dead and Sapphire had been apprehended. From the way Aria disfigured her eyes, it’s unlikely that she will be able to see again. She’d still face judgment by the council, but her recruits were not backing off. It seems like some of the packs that agreed to work with her had ideas of their own. While many have surrendered and others fled, some of the packs were still going on with the war even though they were clearly outnumbered. Our warriors were not backing down,
ARIA“Slade!! No!” I screamed, wrenching my arms away from the man that still had his gun trained on me.“I swear I’ll shoot-“ I didn’t hear the rest of what he was saying as I rushed towards Slade, but Sapphire threw herself in my way, blocking me from reaching him. I heard gunshots behind me, then Marcel’s voice. When I turned, the man who had his gun trained at me was laying lifeless on the floor, and Marcel had Daryl by the neck, the two of them battling each other. Sapphire gripped my hair, pulling it hard, but I didn’t feel the pain from her hold. The only pain I felt was seeing Slade lay lifeless on the floor. I hit her jaw with my elbow and dodged a blow she aimed at me. I haven’t done a lot of training but I have watched the warriors train countless times. I’d watched Sapphire train and I was able to predict her next move. I saw her lunge for the gun on the floor, and I moved fast, kicking it out of the way. She rolled on top of me, punching me hard on the face before going
SLADEI clawed at the wolf in front of me while trying to shake off the one on my back. He fell to the floor and using my hind legs, I pinned him to the ground, making sure to finish off the first wolf before returning to him. Four others approached me with speed. My wolf was covered in blood, but I wasn’t tired. I took them down, one after the other but sustained an injury on my right side. I knew I had a lot of enemies, but Sapphire had gone overboard to bring them together. Even the warriors of Cross Shadow were involved, the pack I’d refused to join Dark Wolf. I wasn’t surprised, because I knew Sapphire was preparing herself and taking her time. What surprised me was that she’d sold us to the werewolf hunters.I felt a mind link coming through and I connected to Marcel while fighting off the last wolf.“We have another problem, Slade,” My beta tells me through mind link. I could hear him panting, his hard breath indicating he was fighting off an enemy.“What is it?” I asked him,
Of all the things Sapphire said, I knew she was right about one. Slade will not kill her if what she says is true, but then she isn’t going to walk out of Dark Wolf a free woman either. That much is certain. I stared at the phone in my hands many minutes after the call ended, pacing the living room and trying to calm my seething beast. There’s no way Slade expects me to sit here and not know what is going on out there, especially after the call I just received. The penthouse was full of members of the pack, young and old, and several warriors stationed inside and outside, and I know these guards will not let me out since Slade instructed it. I was getting frustrated as the sounds of gunshots continued outside. I was scared. I cursed when I felt a vibration again only to realize it was Slade’s phone this time. I picked up without hesitation, listening to hear the voice on the other end before speaking.“Alpha Slade, are you there?” A deep husky voice asked.“This is his mate. What’s
The crowd dispersed in chaos, everyone running to shelter. Silver bullets, the type that’ll kill a werewolf in seconds. My wolf recognized the scent as it filled the air. The screams of women and children, men trying to protect their wives filled everywhere. “Sapphire,” I muttered under my breath. It could only be her. She chose the right time. “Take them inside and keep them safe, Marcel,” Slade turned to his beta, handing me and Audrey over to him. “No,” I and Audrey chorused at the same time. Many guards had surrounded us, protecting their alpha and his heir. “Aria, Listen to me. I don’t have time to argue with you. You are carrying my baby. You have to be safe,” “So you expect me to just sit inside and do nothing?” I asked. “I’m not pregnant, I can fight,” Audrey said stubbornly. Slade groaned. He glanced at the men around us, and next thing I know, I’m being lifted off my feet. Myself and Audrey were taken into the house, along with many orders. Slade was gone in seconds as